


the greys are silver in the twilight

by vehlr



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Idiots in Love, Older Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:05:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5244290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehlr/pseuds/vehlr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She has streaks of grey, and his face is marked with lines, but there is still a beauty in the way their hands fits together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [enigmaticagentscully](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticagentscully/gifts).



> Inspired by the artwork [here](http://enigmaticagentalice.tumblr.com/post/132238038485/its-good-to-see-you-again-inquisitor-it-has) and [here](http://enigmaticagentalice.tumblr.com/post/132492596725/just-like-old-times-right-because-people).

She is a Seeker - not Lady Seeker, she had declined that honour, he remembers the letter. She is probably the oldest of the Order, though he could not be sure, given how secretive they were now. She has lived through war and death and distrust and broken faith - and yet the lines on her face are from joy, laughter marking her skin in deepening grooves as her face lights up at the sight of her old friend. The Inquisitor is slower now, but Cassandra meets them with a smile.

“It has been too long, old friend.”

He is Viscount - or was, for many years. She recalls the tale of the ceremony that had led to him stepping down, retiring to a quiet life of writing and dry wit that still shone through in his letters. His eyes have seen crumbling cities, fallen heroes, desperate times - and yet there is nothing but mirth in them, flashing behind the gold-framed spectacles he had been forced to adopt after a lifetime of keeping one eye on the horizon and another on the page. He greets the Inquisitor with his trademark humour.

“Just like old times, right?”

*

They do not linger in the halls, instead finding their way to the gardens.

“Why is it always Halamshiral?” grumbles Varric.

She smiles. “You know how the Orlesians get if they are not the centre of the world.”

“True enough.” He falls into step with her, slow and measured, and he regards her for a moment. “How are the Seekers?”

“Well enough. Our Lady Seeker is looking for Divine consultation. I am hoping that Most Holy will grant us an audience in the changing season.”

“Leliana’s never denied you a thing. I don’t see why she’d start now.”

Cassandra concedes the point. “How fares Kirkwall?”

“Oh, you know that old place. Unstoppable.” The affection in his voice rings out. “Bran’s son is a powerhouse of ideas, just like his father, but he’s unafraid of the politics. Kid’s got guts.”

“You are fond of him.”

“Hard not to be. He kind of reminds me of Hawke, sometimes.”

She squeezes his shoulder lightly. “He is lucky to have you as an advisor.”

“Maybe.”

“Do you still underestimate yourself, even now?”

He smirks. “Like you’re one to talk. Hoping for the Divine’s favour when you know she’d grant you anything you asked for.”

She smiles ruefully. “Perhaps you have a point.”

They still as they come upon the fountain, and he gestures for her to sit before joining her. For a while they remain in companionable silence.

“Varric?”

“Mm?”

“It is good to see you again.”

He smiles, reaching for her hand. “You look good. I mean, you always did, but -”

“Did I?” she says softly, fingers lacing around his.

He laughs. “I thought so.”

“I rather wish you had said something.” She squeezes his fingers. “I was quite enamoured of you, Varric.”

“You were?”

“I am,” she corrects.

His smile spreads, the lines deepening as he reaches up with his free hand to brush her hair back. “Well,” he says gently, “isn’t that something.”


	2. Chapter 2

He makes her feel _young_ , despite the ache in her back.

“In here -”

“Varric, we are hardly young enough for a - a romp in the middle of the afternoon!”

“Not if you’re calling it a _romp_ , Seeker,” he mutters, yanking her in and closing the door. “Besides, we’re not _that_ old.”

She means to reply, to explain herself and justify her use of the word, but his hands cup her face so delicately it stops her voice in her throat.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs. “Did I really never tell you before now?”

“Varric -”

He reaches up, kissing her tenderly, and her fingers grip the edges of his duster.

“I’m not saying we have to _do_ anything,” he adds in a teasing tone, smirking that damnable smirk, “I’m just appreciating you in a less public area.”

“Your chambers,” she says, deadpan.

“Much less public,” he points out, and laughs as she presses her lips against his forcefully, letting her push him back against the dresser. Her noise of disgust turns into something softer, hands relaxing and smoothing over his shoulders as she slowly pushes his coat off. His arms shake it off before he pulls her closer.

“Varric -”

He stills, lips stealing one last kiss before pulling back. “Is this alright?”

She smiles, stepping back as she starts to work on the buckles of her armour. “Are we not too old for nerves, Varric?”

He laughs, one hand running through his hair. “It’s not nerves, Seeker, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. We’re _definitely_ too old for that.”

She laughs, her chestplate carefully laid down. “Agreed.”

“So?”

“This is more than alright.” She straightens, hands on hips, head tilting as she smiles at him. “I did not think… this could ever be. You were always so far away.”

“I was right here,” he says.

“But I was not,” she admits. “The Order had to come first. As did Kirkwall.”

He shrugs, conceding the point. “Maybe. I don’t doubt we could have made it work.”

“Perhaps.” She smiles. “It does not matter, in truth. We are here now.”

“You’ll have to go easy on me,” he warns, that teasing tone back in his voice. “I’m much more likely to have a heart attack if you threaten to stab me.”

She laughs, a short sharp noise as she settles on the edge of the bed, and her back groans with the motion. “Poor delicate flower,” she sympathises, smirking as he comes to rest next to her, hand reaching for his. “I fear we may have missed our window for romps.”

“Seeker -”

“It is a word you used quite often in Swords and Shields.”

“As a _joke_ ,” he stresses, before looking serious. “Did you mind the ending? I know it was a bit… over the top…”

“It was very sweet. I am sure Aveline forgave you, eventually.”

He laughs. “Not really. She threatened to name their son after Bartrand.”

“Did she?”

“Naah. Called him Horace.” He squeezes her fingers. “I just figured the series deserved closure, after I started the new one.”

She blushes. “I rather like the new one,” she admits, “though your attempts to hide their true identities was a little thin. A roguish dwarf and a beautiful but stern warrior?”

He laughs. “What can I say? Write what you know.”

“Mm. I suppose the Inquisitor was flattered.”

“I - what?”

“The Inquisitor.” She frowns slightly at his perplexed expression. “The warrior was clearly modelled off her, was she not?”

“Are you seri- of _course_ you’re serious, you’re Cassandra Pentaghast.” He smiles as he cups her face gently. “Seeker. _She’s_ not the shieldmaiden who captured my heart.”

“Well, then -” She stops, her eyes widening as the sovereign drops. “ _Oh_ ,” she breathes, “oh, you did _not_.”

“I did.”

“You wrote about -”

“What I hoped was mutual.”

She leans in, forehead resting against his. “Oh, _Varric_.”

“I figured you’d work it out, you’re not exactly -”

She cuts him off with a tender kiss, pulling him in close as her hands sink into his hair. Her heart aches at this new revelation, at everything that had come to pass already today, and she overflows with love for this stupid wonderful dwarf.

“Cassandra,” he breathes, “I want to -”

“ _Yes_.”


	3. Chapter 3

She strips with little ceremony, but watches him eagerly from the bed as he pulls his tunic off.

“Like what you see?” he laughs, and she tugs him down into a lingering kiss, one hand pressed up against his chest.

“Yes,” she says, smiling up at him. He grins, hands light on her shoulders as he pushes her back down against the bed.

“You’re good for my ego, Seeker.”

His lips are soft against her skin, tracing the lines that betray her age. Not for the first time, she regrets staying away for so long.

As if he could read her thoughts, he smiles, looking up at her. “You’re fretting.”

“No, I - I have few regrets. Leaving it this long to find you -”

“Doesn’t matter. We got here, so let’s make the most of it.”

“Varric -”

He hums, a soft noise as his fingers stroke a path down from her waist along the curve of her hip. “Beautiful.”

“Do not tease,” she murmurs. “I am -”

“If you’re about to argue with me, I’m afraid you won’t win that one, Seeker.” He brings his fingers to his lips, licking them before he reaches between her legs.

“Oh,” she breathes, her hips rolling. “Oh, _Varric_.”

“Good?”

“ _Yes_.”

He smiles. “You _are_ beautiful,” he murmurs, shuffling down the bed on his knees. “I knew you would be, underneath all that armour. All power and poise.”

His fingers press against her opening, and she moans as his thumb rolls over her clit. “ _Ah_ \- Varric -”

“How long has it been?”

“I -”

He lowers his head, pressing a kiss to her thigh. “Too long,” he smiles, “too long for someone like you not to be worshipped.” His mouth moves lower. “You can’t see past the grey hairs, can you? All you see is age. But you’re so much more than that - you’re precious, like silver.”

“Please - _please_ , I -”

His tongue presses flat against her heat and she trails off into a keening cry, back arching to push her hips against his mouth. Her fingers scrabble at the sheets, the ache in her building up as his fingers ease in and out of her.

He raises his head for a moment, just a moment -

“Cassandra, come for me.”

Her head falls against the bed, neck arching as she cries out.

“Ah! _Var_ -”

Her voice cracks, the rest lost in the rush of pleasure that floods her senses as she writhes in his grip, bucking as he eases her through the orgasm with crooked fingers.

Her body aches, a warmth suffusing through her as he pulls away, pressing a soft kiss to her thigh. “Good?”

She swallows, gasping slightly at the dryness in her throat, unable to respond.

His smirk widens. “Did I _break_ you, Cassandra?” he teases.

She glares in response. “Water,” she manages to rasp, and he chuckles as he reaches to the bedside table, pouring her a mug. Her hands curl around it gratefully, small sips and a soft sigh before she can speak again.

“You are a menace,” she says, but without any real heat, and he leans back on his hands, grinning.

“And you are beautiful.”

“So you said.” She offers him the drink, and he takes a gulp before putting it aside. “You are right, of course. I tend to focus more on the external signs - the streaks of grey, the lines across my hands. I forget that my experiences have added as much as they have taken.”

“I’d argue they _add_ more, but maybe that’s just me.”

She smiles. “Perhaps.” She regards him for a moment. “How long has it been for you?”

“Long enough.” He smiles, a lazy crooked thing. “I was too busy to give it much thought. Had my letters from you, that was enough.”

She crawls towards him, one hand tugging at the laces of his trousers. “Truly?”

“Well, I’m not exactly _young_ , Seeker.”

She smirks. “ _Good_.”

Her fingers wrap around him gently.

“ _Ah_ \- I’m not -”

“If I wanted a young stallion,” she murmurs, “I would not be here. Wanting _you_.” His length twitches in her hand, and she smiles. “I have had my expectations surpassed already, Varric. Just relax.”

“That is not an easy statement to follow when you’re - _ngh_.” His head falls back as she teases, slow gentle strokes that urge his cock to stand.

“Let me take care of you,” she whispers, and he nods, a shaky exhale as she straddles his thigh. “You have looked after me so well, my love.”

“Cassandra -”

“Do you like that?”

His hand grips her wrist. “The way you _say_ that,” he rasps.

She smiles. “My love,” she murmurs, and his hips move awkwardly, thrusting into her touch. “You are so eager for me. Have you thought of this often?”

“Yes -”

“Thought of my touch? My warmth?”

“Yes, _yes_ -”

“We have been fools, my love. Let us not wonder a moment longer.” Swinging her leg over his hip, she guides him carefully, pressing her hips down against him as he slips against her wetness.

“ _Ah_ \- Cassandra, please -”

Her fingers are light, easing him into her as she sighs. “Oh. Oh, _Varric_.”

He reaches up, one hand at the small of her back and the other threading through her hair. “You feel - you feel _amazing_.”

She smiles, arms wrapping around his neck as she rocks against him. “Make love to me,” she whispers.

They move softly, tender as he kisses her.

“Is this as you imagined it, my love?”

“Oh, Cassandra,” he laughs, “you have _no_ idea.”

She laughs against his lips, thrilling to feel his skin against hers, soft endearments whispered between them. He reaches between them, lazily stroking at her clit again, and she gasps as the pleasure overcomes her again, softer this time, drawing out his pleasure too. With a whimper, he comes, slow and drawn out thrusts into her as she rocks her hips against his.

“That’s it, my love. That’s it,” she croons. “You feel so _good_.”

He pulls her down, lips pressed against the curve of her neck as he lies back. “Mm,” he manages.

“Did I break you, Varric?” Her voice is teasing as his had been, and he smiles at her laugh.

“A little.”

“Good.” She rolls off his body, spreading out across the bed as she lets out a contented sigh. “ _Good_.”

“It was, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, _yes_.”

He turns his head to look at her. “I love you. You know that, right?”

She smiles, her heart fit to burst. “Yes, Varric. And you know that I love you.” Her hand reaches for his, fingers entwining. “So very much.”

“I know, Seeker.” He chuckles. “ _Romp_. Honestly, woman -”

She rolls onto her side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Shut up,” she murmurs affectionately.

“That, I can do.” He yawns, jaw cracking loudly. “Mm. What now?”

She smiles, tugging on the blanket beneath them, dislodging it before draping it over him. “Sleep, I think.”

He chuckles, pulling her in close. “I meant what now for us, but I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Oh.” She rests her chin on his shoulder. “I… I do not know, in truth.”

“Well, how about we have a nap first, and then figure out the rest?”

She smiles, nodding, and he leans in to steal one last kiss before tugging a pillow underneath their heads.

“Besides,” he murmurs as she closes her eyes, “We’ve got time, now. All the time in the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even when they're old... they're such cute babies.


End file.
